Gas struts are used to connect a vehicle panel, such as a liftgate, decklid, tailgate, etc., to a vehicle body structure such that the panel can be moved between open and closed positions. Traditionally, these struts utilize a fixed attachment point geometry, value of mass, and center of gravity of the panel to calculate a pressure that will provide acceptable opening and closing efforts under a typical temperature operating range. If the mass or center of gravity of the panel being raised or lowered changes, the operating efforts are affected accordingly. For example, if the mass of the panel is reduced or the center of gravity is raised on the panel, for a given temperature, the effort to close will increase and the force/speed at which the panel opens will increase. Conversely, if mass is added or the center of gravity lowered, the panel will rise more slowly or require assistance to open, and the panel may not stay open or sag once a full open position is reached.
Vehicle owners often customize their vehicles to include modifications and/or additions to these types of panels such as lights, bike racks, tire kits, etc. These modifications affect the operation of the struts as described above. Further, due to the inconsistency of the modifications between the various add-on providers, the amount of adjustment to gas strut pressures varies significantly, which results in a large number of different strut pressures that would be required to accommodate the different configurations.